2024 Schedule
8:30 - 9:00
Registration
9:00 - 9:15
Welcome
Principal Nou Vang Vue, Lake View Elementary
Nou Vang Vue is the principal at Lake View Elementary School where they serve a diverse multicultural student population and the only Hmong heritage bilingual program in the school district of Madison and in the state of Wisconsin! With a passion for equitable access and opportunities for all students, Nou strives to build a school community where all students feel a deep sense of belonging and can learn using their funds of knowledge.
AM option: two 45 minute breakout sessions OR one 1.5 hour workshop
9:30-10:15
AM Session 1 Breakouts
LGBTQIA+ in Nature: Finding Your Own Identity in Nature | Carolyn Byers, Madison Audubon
Nurtured by Nature: How Nature Connection Supports Healthy Child Development | Meg Barrow, MS, OTR/L, Thriving Wild OT, RxOutside/NatureLed
Rooted in Culture: Cultural Cooking with Youth | Sarah Karlson, Education Director/Badger Rock Farm & Education Manager, & Forrest Smart, Assistant Badger Rock Farm & Education Manager Rooted
10:15-10:30
Transition Period for 45-Minute Breakout Sessions
10:30 - 11:15
AM Session 2 Breakouts
Growing & Healing with Nature: Piloting a Tier 2 Nature Connection Intervention at a Public Elementary School Using the NatureLed Approach | Clare Weible, OTD, RxOutside/NatureLed
Opportunities at the Madison School Forest | Liz Just, Recreation Specialist, MSCR
Fostering Environmental Education and Climate Change Awareness among the Latino Community | Cristina Carvajal, Executive Director, Wisconsin Ecolatinos
Nature Journaling with Kids Outside | Carolyn Byers, Madison Audubon
9:30 - 11:00
AM Workshops
Birding is for Everyone! (Bird Walk) | Dexter Patterson, BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin
Absorbing Nature Through Art: Learning Without Language | Sonya Sankaran, Ecologist, Educator & Artist
Foraging as Nature Connection and Land Care | Andy Gricevich, What Got Gathered
Deepening Nature Connection Through Storytelling | Coral Conant Gilles, Storytelling Naturalist
Designing your Dream Outdoor Classroom | Jonathan Ismail Outreach Specialist, LEAF K-12 Forestry Education, UW - Stevens Point
11:00 - 11:15
Transition for AM Workshop
11:15 -12:15
AM Keynote: Bird Joy for All
Dexter Patterson, Co-founder of the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin
12:15 -1:15
Lunch and Exhibitors
Spend time connecting with each other and supportive community resources in the exhibitor hall.
PM option: two 45 minute breakout sessions OR one 1.5 hour workshop
1:15 - 2:00
PM Session 1 Breakouts
Don't Plastic Panic! | Anne Moser, Education Coordinator and Sr. Special Librarian, Wisconsin Sea Grant
Getting Outside with UT | Ruthanna Hutton-Okpalaeke, Agriculture Program Manager, Urban Triage
Conducting a Student-Centered Energy Audit to Reduce Your School Building’s Carbon Footprint | Wendy Stelzer, Energy Educator, KEEP - Wisconsin's K-12 Energy Education Program
2:00 - 2:15
Break (for breakout session participants)
2:15 - 3:00
PM Session 2 Breakouts
Students taking Sustainable Action at School | Xia Lowery, Program Coordinator, Green and Healthy Schools
How Do I Teach This Outside? Outdoor Learning Meets the Science of Reading Movement | Rachel Tidd, Author, Doctoral Student, Wild Learning, UW- Stevens Point
Language and Environmental Education | Diego Roman, Assistant Professor at UW Madison & Angela Lake, Instructor, PhD Student at UW Madison
1:15 - 2:45
PM Workshops
Creating and Sustaining an Outdoor Classroom | Susie Hobart & James Kersten, MMSD Teachers
Solarpunk Art & Organizing | Karen Polnitz, Families for Justice
KidWind Mini Challenge - Bringing Clean Energy into the Classroom | Allison Bender, Outreach Program Manager, Wisconsin Energy Institute, UW–Madison & Samara Hamze, Outreach Program Manager, KEEP
The Lost Art of Reading Natures Signs | Nick Harnish, Director of Education, Badgerland Girl Scouts
Mentoring with the 8 Shields Natural Cycle | Moira Farrell, Founder/Owner of Hike and Heal Wellness & Kati Fernandez Lambert, Founder/Owner of Coyote Fire Arts Illustration
2:45 - 3:00
Break (for breakout session participants)
3:00 - 3:30
PM Keynote: Cultivating Learners and Leaders in the Outdoors
Nou Vang-Vou, Principal of Lake View Elementary School
3:30 - 3:45
Door Prizes!
3:45 - 4:30
Open Space Discussion
Join fellow attendees for various discussion groups on topics of interest using Open Space Technology, and grow your network of support and collaboration.
Potential topics include:
Starting a school garden in MMSD
Designing an outdoor classroom structure
Advocating for outdoor learning with your Principal
Setting up an outdoor learning space
Taking classroom lessons outside
...and any of your ideas!